Night Monster
by dabeeinc77
Summary: Fire was wrong about many things. She was wrong about the herbs preventing pregnancy, She was wrong about what she thought she wanted and she was wrong about being the only monster left in the dells.
1. Prologue

Night Monster • Prologue

Fire was wrong about many things. She was wrong about the herbs preventing pregnancy, She was wrong about what she thought she wanted and she was wrong about being the only monster in the dells.

**AN: As always the dells and characters of Fire belong to the brilliance of Kristen Cashore. Also please forgive me as I destroy the spelling and grammar. Also please forgive me if I go against something in the book I listened to Fire as a book on tape so I have no reference to look back to I am just going off of my memory. If you have something that bugs you in consistency of the book or in how to spell names if you want to help me out by sending them to me I would love you forever! Ok at-least I would love you for the 2 minuets and 45 seconds it would take to change the name. Thanks again for reading and please review I hope you all like it!**

Prologue

The sunlight of 60 summer days kissed her skin with the shimmer of gold and bronze. She missed the pale milky white that winters solace left on her skin. The powerful rays of sunlight reached past her skin to ache in her muscles and burned in her bones. Glory hated being out in the day she hated how everything around her screamed burning with color. How even in the thickest forest on a rainy day you could hear in the rustling leaves and branches a promise of a hundred golden afternoons to come. She ran through the thick forest lining the great grays darting from tree to tree pursuing the familiarity of shadows. Eight years the rocky cliffs of the grays Face had been her home. She new this land well and right now she needed that advantage.


	2. Chapter 1 Up a tree

Chapter 1 • Up A Tree

**AN: For those who are revisiting yes I have done some small editing and revision from when I first posted trying to take what you have told me into account. **

**As always the dells and characters of Fire belong to the brilliance of Kristen Cashore. Also please forgive me as I destroy the spelling and grammar. Also**

She had hoped that her hunt would be quick and easy today that she could find her pray and bring her dinner back to the safety of her din before the power and pain of midday came upon her but she had no such luck. Although it was physically harder to hunt in the day it was much safer. As long as she hadn't drawn blood she was relatively unnoticed by other monsters, but today she had gotten all the attention she could handle.

This morning she thought it was to be an easy day when she stumbled upon a doe and her fawn not more than 20 minutes after leaving her cave. Glory was looking forward to the extra time she would now have to swim in the hot springs. She pulled an arrow from her quiver taking time to check her aim. She didn't want to ruin everything with a hasty shot, but before she could release her shot a large green wolf leapt into the clearing. The dear bolted only to run toward a smaller blue wolf. Soon the nervous dears were completely surrounded by the monster pack and Glory new it was in her best interest to leave as quickly and quietly at possible.

As she retreated her eyes scanned the surrounding area fro an emergency back up plan. Just as she saw the large tree about 20 feet away a twig snapped under her foot. She didn't need to look back to know she had alerted the wolves of her presence, and she immediately ran toward her only hope. She hit the tree with full force scraping and pulling herself up as fast and as high as she could. Before she could even get past the first bough she felt the sharp claws rake down from her shoulder lancing threw her skin and breaking her quiver. In spite of the intense pain she continued to pull herself up when a gut-wrenching howl ripped through the air. The stench of her blood had caught the attention of the whole pack. She saw them all join in a hypnotic prance circling the tree.

"I would thank the heavens that they haven't rained down any raptor monsters today if I were the kind of person to count my blessings." After several hour of sitting on the uncomfortably little branch Glory had started talking to herself to stay coherent.

"To bad I am more of a count your curses kind'a person. Cursed wolves" She went on to rant at each wolf individually.

She had stopped the bleeding when she wrapped her arm tightly with ripped fragments of her skirt. Even with out an audience she was embarrassed by her forced immodesty. The little cloth her skirt retained barley covered her upper thigh and she had been forced to strip down to her sleeveless undergarments and cast away her bloodied shirt. The wolves went into a horrible frenzy when she cast it down to them but she couldn't leave the bloody mess calling out to every monster predator in the area.


	3. Chapter 2 Being found

Chapter 2 • Being Found

**AN: For those who are revisiting yes I have done some small editing and revision from when I first posted trying to take what you have told me into account.**

It was only a few hours before dusk and Glory's time to find a solution was growing scarce. She was cursing herself aloud for not using her bloodied shirt as a diversion to escape when several things happened at once. First Glory heard a rustling from a distant bushy area below and several loud hollers as she saw a large flock of monster birds take flight. Then she felt a small sharp prick on her thigh and looked to see a small lavender ant biting her leg. She smashed the little monster as the birds began to drop from the sky above her raining down a short distance from the tree. The wolves raced to fight amongst each other for the prized birds having given up on their larger pray stuck in the tree. Glory was about to attempt her escape when she saw a blanket of arrows cover the wolves.

Soon she saw a group of rough looking men breaking through the brush to descend upon the remainders of the pack. "Keep what you can alive" A tall man in rather ratty furred camouflaged yelled out from behind the men. His head was wrapped in a scarf and the rest of him was bundled up as if it were the dead of winter. Gory figured these men had to be poachers otherwise they wouldn't have bothered with keeping any of the ravenous monsters alive.

She fought with herself trying to decide if she should continue hiding in the tree or get down. If she remained still until the men had cleared the area she may not make it back to her cave before nightfall and being in the open forest at night was dangerous, but to risk getting down now would go directly against the two most important things she had been taught in her short life. First her grandmother had taught her to never risk exposure and second her mother had taught her to never trust a man. Left with the minuscule amount of clothing on her body Glory was heavily leaning to the side of hiding.

"Cap you should see this." One of the men had found a small piece of her bloody shirt under the tree. "What a pity they must have gotten one of the village hunters should we spread the word as we go threw the towns."

"No, we don't need to raise any alarm amongst locals, beside whatever the family thinks happened to the missing person must be better than the reality. Take the beasts bodies back to camp for dinner and cage the others." The man in camouflage spoke easily but his men were quick to obey.

Glory thought the man's remark to be rather cold and callus staring down at him and his rough band she decided to wait them out. That is until she began to feel a pricking sensation up and down her leg she looked down to find an entire colony of lavender monster ants attacking her. At first she tried swatting them away then she began smashing but soon the sensation became to great and she let out a yelp of pain. The entire group of men looked up just in time to see a half naked girl lose her balance and fall through the tree. Several branches painfully helped to break her fall but in the end it was the man in camouflage who caught her.

"Well, well, well Cap what have you got there? It seems more than monster pheasants be fallen out of the sky today. She's a right pretty little thing aint she?"

"Put me down this instant" Glory pushed against the man's hard chest in an attempt to remove herself from his arms. It didn't work.

"Seems she's rather feisty too"

"That will be enough Gibbon. See if you can round up Jayden." Against her will he rearranged Glory in his arms to secure a better hold.

"Let me go right now. Do you mind?"

"As a matter of fact I do. I would like to know who just fell on top of me and if she was worth my favorite bow." He nodded his head to the ground were an intricate long bow lay snapped in two pieces. "Now why don't you tell us how you got yourself stuck up in that tree while my healer checks out the damage you did to yourself on the way down."

Glory looked up ready to give the man a piece of her mind when her eyes met a glistening pare of emerald green eyes. They were unlike anything she had ever seen the outer edges were touched with flecks of blue and teal that turned to sparkles of gold and silver that danced in the center. And she was instantly dumb struck. She couldn't respond until she felt a strange prodding in her mind like a strong mental push. Out of character Glory began telling him the events of her day as the man carried her a ways into the forest and sat her in the back of a wagon. Before she new it Glory had even confessed her plan to stay in the tree until the men had left.

"Why in the world would you do that? And what were you going to do? Go wandering around the forest at night on your own?" The man's voice didn't seem cold or callus any more but enticing.

It was when an older short and somewhat rounded man rubbed a green paste over one of the deeper wounds that a searing pain jolted Glory from the strange enchantment she had fallen into. What was she doing sitting around talking to these strangers. She didn't know them and here she was already in the middle of their camp totally surrounded by rough men with barley a lick of clothing to cover her feminine form.

She felt the strange prod again but this time she pushed back and quickly collected her thoughts. Doing everything she could to stay focused first and for most she averted her gaze from those peering green eyes. When she didn't answer the man seemed to lean into his gaze as if it would help him figure something out.

"Stop that didn't your mother ever tell you not to stare? Really what is wrong with you?" The man began to pull down a scarf that had covered his face the movement caused Glory to falter for a moment and look back into his eyes. She clenched her eyes closed taking only a moment to get a hold of herself. She lowered her head refusing to meet his gaze.

"Ok Cap that should do it." He finished knotting a final bandage around Glory' leg. She thought he was going to meet her gaze, but the squatty little man's eyes glossed over somewhere between Glory's upper thigh and her curvy waste. Starring into her body the man began to mumble about her condition and what precautions she would need to take.

Glory held no delusions about her looks. She knew she was beautiful and it wasn't uncommon for a man to eye her, but Glory wasn't comfortable in this element. She didn't feel safe or in control. These men were rough and wild and she didn't trust any of them and worst of all she didn't trust herself with those gorgeous green eyes. She needed to get out of the camp and in the safety of her cave fast. Soon the sun would be down and the darkness would reveal her true identity to every watching eye monster and human alike.


	4. Chapter 3 Revelations

Chapter 3 Revelations

**AN: As always the dells and characters of Fire belong to the brilliance of Kristen Cashore. Thanks again for reading and please review I hope you all like it!**

"Jayden isn't it?" Glory was desperate to get the man's eyes off her body and back to her eyes where she had some amount of control. She thought it had worked as the man's eyes began to travel northward but when they stopped somewhere bellow her face she tried to split the difference by leaning down into his gaze. The tactic obviously failed.

As the man's eyes shifted with her body a voice sternly barked out "Jayden! ...Is there a problem Doctor? The lady is talking to you."

"Um... I was a... just...what was that miss?" The doctor painfully pulled his eyes from their previous location only to be trapped in Glory's sky blue eyes.

"If you are done fixing me up is it alright if I go rest in the shade for a moment?" Glory nodded toward a comfortable rock nestled under a large tree. She noticed it was next to a large mass of shrubs that backed up to an especially forested area. It would be better to slip away when no one was looking than to ask permission and draw attention to her intent to leave.

After taking a moment to recover from the sun's tortures she would slip out of sight into the shelter of the forest. Glory also hoped to get some distance between her and this "Captain". He had not stopped touching her from the moment she fell from the tree. Even now he was standing against the side of her leg and although he wasn't holding her, his arm rested casually behind her own arm just grazing her skin. It was possible she was making too much of it but she wasn't comfortable with any kind of physical contact with anyone. She new contact with her skin could trigger a dependent or possessive reaction and she had been taught 'It's better to be safe than sorry'. It was the mantra she lived by.

"Yes miss...I am done...I suppose" Jayden said reluctantly as his body leaned in aching to make contact. Glory realized now she had become panicked, and her heart was beating wildly. Her anxiety was causing her to sweat, which was not a good thing.

Glory was a night monster and although they had a different draw than normal monsters they had a draw all the same. Normal monsters were known for the pull of their beauty and extreme mental connection and control. Night monsters for the most part could hide there rare beauty however they had an unnatural pull centered around their physical bodies that was not so easy to control. Skin to skin contact could become almost addictive to others, but through it Glory could effluence their physical state.

She couldn't control someone's actions truly only ones mind could do that, but she found with the smallest touch she could cause ones muscles to ache, she could drain a grown man of his great strength or erase the pains of the smallest child. Her body was like a magnet always drawing others to her, and her scent although it wasn't strong was extremely potent. With the smallest amount of sweat she could bring a monk to his knees in need of her.

It had been a long time since she had been around other people and it was obvious from the Doctors reactions she was not being as careful as she thought. She had to calm down and get her body under-control before it inadvertently summoned any more unwanted attention.

Glory took a calming breath and broke eye contact with the doctor careful that her eyes didn't land anywhere near the face of the man on her other side.

"Thank you again for all the help and advice." Glory scooted to the end of the wagon preparing for her dismount blatantly avoiding the doctor's outstretched hand. "I'll try to remember your instructions." Glory added as she swung her legs out to propel herself off the edge, but before her feet hit the ground she resized she had been caught up once again by the strong arms of the man in camouflage.

"Really I am quite fine.." a quite chuckle stopped Glory's animated protest

"Do you really expect me to believe that? You were attacked by wolves, bitten by monster ants and then you fell out of a tree." Glory was irritated further when she realized she was not headed towards her escape route, but rather she was being taken the opposite direction to a large clearing with a lone oak. "I have men in my regiments that would take a week off from their duties for less."

He sat her down on a large limb that had snapped and was now leaning up against the tree. She noticed once he put her down that his hand was resting on the branch right beside hers and they were still touching.

"Well I have no one else to assume my 'duties'." Glory lifted her hand off the branch and away from the man's touch to lay it in her lap.

"You live alone." The man noted under his breathe mostly to himself. Then He suddenly turned catching Glory in his hypnotic gaze, "So if you live alone what duties do you have that are so pressing you can't take a few days to rest and recover." As she stared blankly into his endless eyes the words seemed to float into Glory and latched onto her consciousness. With out thought she began to poor out the particulars of her existence in great detail. She felt drawn to curl up to this man, trust him completely and rely on him to make everything better. She almost gave in missing the fact that she was acting completely out of character. Almost, but she caught the oddity that for the first time in her life Glory was the one who wanted to make physical contact with someone else. She was leaning into this man, and that began to wake her up.

As she continued to talk incessantly, Glory, fought to regain a small corner of her mind. What was going on? Every survival tactic she had acquired was gone. Mentally she tried to grasp for her natural and learned instincts but strangely the more she reached for them the more she struggled with the thought of let them go completely. Glory couldn't figure it out. She was at war with two sides of herself fighting to gain dominance over her of her resolutions. One side was an overwhelming feeling urging her to go against all she knew to be right and true.

Suddenly Glory was overwhelmed with an urge to touch this man. It didn't matter how. She just had to have some kind of physical contact. Without permission her hand reached toward his face. These feelings were so foreign they pulled at her like the strings of a puppet. That's when it all came into focus.

Glory pulled herself from drowning in his eyes to appraise his entire appearance. She finished reaching for him but resisted the urge to caress his face with her fingers. Instead she grabbed hold of his hat ripping it and his scarf off to reveal a spectacle of brilliant waves. He was magnificent with warm sun-kissed skin and hair unlike anything she had ever seen. Strands of metallic gold, copper and bronze floated in a sea of umber and honey. For a moment she lost her breath drowning in the depths of his unending beauty.

When she finally came up for air she realized who it was that held her captive. Briggondale the second, legendary captain of the Northern First, Favored nephew of the King and worst of all the beloved son of the monster savior Fire. He was known to be fears, sift, cunning and heartless in all that he did. From battlefields to his bedchambers there was nothing he didn't conquer. It was rumored that there where many similarities between he and his grandfather, but he was said to be caring and much more controlled like his father and his exuberance and tendency to manipulate others was clearly tempered by his mother. Yet as Glory sat there touching him she new he was dangerous. In fact he was the most threatening presence she had ever encountered.

Glory began to shake with fear. It was all she could do to close her mouth as she realized she was still talking. She couldn't even remember what she had said. What had she revealed to this man? Every safety barrier, secret, and sacred thought could have been laid bare. He had stripped them away leaving her mentally naked and at his mercy.

Glory closed her eyes and covered her ears but it was no use. She could feel him now a subtle pushing, pulling and prodding in her mind. with all her might she tried to raise up a mental wall to force him out but it was midday. She was tired and sore and frankly he was mentally much stronger. Glory surrendered the majority of her mind, Abandoning her memories her movements giving the man free rain of everything except for the reality that she herself was a monster and a small dark corner where she continued to plot her escape.

**-#-**


	5. Chapter 4 A mothers worry

**Chapter 4 A Mother's Worry **

**AN: For those who are revisiting yes I have done some small editing and revision from when I first posted trying to take what you have told me into account. Thanks to a few of you who let me know about monster genetics! Although it may not seem that way I have adjusted my story for you!**

**As always the dells and characters of Fire belong to the brilliance of Kristen Cashore. Also please forgive me as I destroy the spelling and grammar. Also Forgive me for butchering the character's names I have Fire as a book on tape so I have no reference for spelling if you want to help me out sending them to me in a review. Thanks again for reading and please review.**

**-###-**

**Chapter 4 A Mother's Worry**

The herbs had failed and with the birth of her son Brigandell the Second, Fire, learned a valuable lesson "The only form of permanent birth control is abstinence". With the birth of her daughter Soralee she learned a new lesson "Birth-control is highly overrated when living with a man like Brigan". Fire loved all of her family but her children held a special place in her heart and in her worries.

Her only son "Briggs" as she liked to call him was her only monster. Fire worried about him because although she saw many beautiful qualities that were completely lacking in her father he also held many of the horrific traits such as pride, manipulation and self-gratification that lead her father to ruin and almost destroyed the dells.

She thought it funny that most people gave her credit for keeping him in line and it was true that when he was younger Fire had the advantage of experience and her mind was stronger but as he grew she found Briggs to be fiercely independent and strong willed. It didn't take long for him to block her almost completely and although he loved all of his family passionately the only one who seemed to be able to tame him was his little sister Sora.

Fire had never really believed in miracles until she first saw her newborn daughter. Her perfectly plain somewhat scrunched up ugly little baby. At first Fire thought her child had been switched but the little girls red locks and green eyes loosed her doubts. If Briggs was full of cunning and mischief then Sora was made up of genuine care and goodness. She gave off the vibe of innocence but she was far from ignorant. She was as quick witted as Briggs and the only one completely immune to his mental gifting. Fire worried over her because having the sole responsibility of keeping her brother in line had to be taxing and unfair for one so small.

At the present Fire was worried because Briggs was due back hours ago from a hunting trip he had taken with only a few of his closest men, and his absence was beginning to leave an unruly void in those left behind. Normally he would just send out a hunting part but he was trying to get some space from his mother sister and his men.

Earlier that morning when Fire arrived with her guard a fight had broken out amongst his men. Just like his father, Briggs, handled the situation sternly but with grace, but after that unlike Fire who would allow peoples minds to wander as they willed Briggs tried to strap down every thought that strayed toward his mother.

When his second in command came to request permission to go hunting Briggs assigned most of his personal guard to Fire and left with the small party that his right hand man, Gibbon, had collected. To say they least when he left he looked tiered but somewhat relieved.

Before she could see them she could feel them Gibbon and most of the hunting party were returning but Briggs thoughts were not with them. She pressed a mental question to Gibbon asking about her son. What she saw in return disturbed her greatly. She could feel Gibbon trying to modify the memory of her son possessively holding a young very attractive half naked girl. She felt Gibbon trying to formulate some kind of excuse for his friends continued absence, but it was to late Fire had seen it all and she had no misgivings about her sons more flamboyant nature with women. However, she could see trough Gibbon's memory that there was more than just her sons normal attraction to this wounded little girl. An obvious obsession seemed to have set it. Worried for the girl's virtue and her son's character Fire summoned Sora to find her brother as quickly as possible and defuse the situation as best she could.


	6. Chapter 5 Magnetism

**Chapter 5 Magnetism **

She had no idea how long they had been sitting there under the tree

She had no idea when it was that she had moved to become entwined hand and foot sitting on his lap.

She had no idea what they had talked about

But she did have a good idea why this was happening. In fact she had a better grasp on the situation then the man who was pulling her strings.

Monster Magnetism it sounded stupid but there wasn't anything better Glory could think to label it. She could see how the two of them were sucked up in this viscous cycle. It was magnetic the closer one got the stronger the pull became on the other creating another reciprocal pull until it was no longer clear who was attracting who.

In hindsight she knew that he had become victim to the physical draw of her body the moment he caught her. She figured the mounting need caused by the smell of her blood and sweat didn't help, add in the fact that a monsters draw always pulled strongest on other monsters and she new he had become a prisoner to his own need. In retaliation he had unleashed the full strength of his magnetism to imprison her, allowing his mind to summon her with out inhibition. In his heightened stat of desire he was forcing her compliance to his companionship, and was flaunting his physical appearance taking every opportunity to use his splendor to allure and captivate her.

The worst part was it was working. The need to be closer to be connected was humming through her, and she couldn't even find it in herself to be outraged because it was just as much her fault as his. It was becoming more difficult to hold onto her resolve and cling to what she had originally wanted 'ESCAPE'.

"What was freedom anyway?" She asked herself feeling warm and comfortable. " No! That is just a feeling it isn't truth." she told herself. She new something needed to happen and happen soon or they would both be lost forever in this strange force of Monster Magnetism.

Glory could feel a new wave of compliance and acceptance being pushed at her. She was flustered by the options to fight or give in when the answer came to her "do both". She would use a false since of acceptance to lure him in. "I'm sorry I've been so disagreeable I don't know what has come-over me I think all of the trauma from the earlier events of today have put me on edge. I'm not used to strangers and I feel so vulnerable and week."

Glory took a long and dramatic yawn stretching every inch of her body only to collapse once again fully into his clutches. She could feel his immediate approval as his body soaked in the feel of her. As she settled in to her new possession she could feel his body drowning in her touch as she carefully laid her hands on his, gaining the valuable skin-to-skin contact that would give her a needed advantage.

"I just feel so tired don't you?" With that Glory began manipulating and drain the man's strength until he could barley keep his eyes open she continually snuggled in closer and closer to him fain her own sleep hoping to give him a false since of security so he would not fight the deep steep she was pushing him into.

After cuddling, humming and even softly rocking him to sleep she felt his strong physical grasp on her loosen, but she was surprised to find that although his mental hold on her had become unfocused it had not lost it's intensity with sleep. She knew it would be very difficult for her to force herself away and eventually to break the mental bond all together, but for the moment she hoped she could use it to aid in her escape.

Glory slowly began to grasp at the mental connection thinking thoughts of peace and contentment as she slowly began shifting her body away from the Monster. Soon all that connected to two was the soft grasp of their hands. Glory took one last moment to focus and force out as much calm and peace as she could physically and mentally muster when out of the corner of her eye she saw something.

She jerked her head up to find not something but someone. A lovely young lady was standing only a few feet away staring at her with a clear state of shock on her face. Glory began to contemplate the young lady when she began to feel the Monster beside her start to stir. She wiped the sweat of her brow with a handkerchief he had given her and placed it over his face hoping her sent on it would help mask her absence as she shot him one last thought of contentment. Seeing the girl was still frozen and not knowing her intentions Glory took the opportunity to run.

As she left the shade of the large tree and darted through the clearing the sunlight of 60 summer days kissed her skin with the shimmer of gold and bronze. She knew that her beauty would not be lost on the young lady behind her and she missed the pale milky white that winters solace left on her skin. As she ran the powerful rays of sunlight reached past her skin to ache in her muscles to burn in her bones. Glory hated being out in the day she hated how everything around her screamed and burning with color. How even in the thickest forest on a rainy day you could hear in the rustling leaves and branches a promise of a hundred golden afternoons to come, but she couldn't think of the coming trouble now. She ran through the thick forest lining the great grays darting from tree to tree pursuing the familiarity of shadows hoping they would hide her from her newest admirer. Eight years the rocky cliff's of the grays Face had been her home. She knew this land well and right now she needed that advantage.


	7. Chapter 6 Shock and Fear

Chapter 6 • Sister's Shock

Sora had never seen anything like it. She had seen the glint of determination in her brother's eyes a thousand times before when he would lock his jaw and pursue a cause without wavering but this was different. She couldn't remember ever seeing him so desperate for anything. No Briggs was never desperate. He was confidant, clever and systematic. Seeing her brother so out of control scarred her, and for the first time in her life Sora was unsure if she could reel him back in.

More than once Sora had caught Briggs using his mental persuasion to catch the fancy of a pretty girl on the rare occasion that his unnaturally good looks were not enough. She was relieved to find the tendency had lessened as they left their pubescent years. As a teenager she thought the only sure way the family could keep him and his crazy hormones under control would be to lock him up. And their older cousin Prince Nax was no help whatsoever once he realized that Briggs' powers could help him get past his awkwardness with the young ladies of the court.

Only six months apart in age Nax and Briggs had been inseparable growing up and once Sora was born the two had found her happiness was the center of there existence. Of course they loved to tease and torment but they where also the best protectors and providers as well.

If Sora was Briggs' sedative than Nax surly was his catalyst. Constantly setting off Briggs wild and imaginative side. Pushing his limits and pressing him to extremes far beyond what their family approved of. Although Nax and Briggs were goodhearted boys they were still boys.

Sora single handedly kept them inline with fierce conviction with a good dose of guilt and the cutest blue eyed pouty-face any one had ever seen. Both boys adored her. Sora had never found anything that could wobble their allegiance to her, but as she looked on at her brother clinging to the beautiful injured half naked woman, Sora new she had finally met her match.

Briggs had always greeted her before she was ever in earshot or line of sight. His mind would always catch hold of her attention and welcome her safely in. But her she stood only a few feet away from him and he had no idea she was there. He was riveted to this girl weather she wanted it or not. The two seemed to be engaged in some kind of silent battle. Sora called for Briggs to no avail, she felt badly for the girl, and just as she gave up any hope of freeing the imprisoned girl, she noticed Briggs eyes starting to close. Soon his body relaxed and then se realized he was asleep.

She was completely aghast. Only a few seconds had past and he had gone from being completely riveted to almost comatose. The dark haired beauty gently laid him down and carefully began to inch away. Sora was beyond shocked. It was rare that any female didn't through herself at Briggs but for this girl to not only attempt escape but to succeed wasn't just something Sora had never seen, it was something she thought impossible.

Shock froze Sora as she realized she was no longer staring at her brother but at the strange and exquisite Girl in front of her. The girl's gaze was locked on her as well, for a moment the two shared some deep connection as they stared into one another's eyes. It was as if they were the north and south poles (so similar but a world apart) with a force stringing between them holding the universe perfectly in balance.

And then she blinked when Sora opened her eyes she saw the retreating form of the other girl and felt as if their similar cord was pulling her along. Although she was worried about leaving her sleeping brother she felt as if she had not choice but to run after the girl.

The girl seemed to be gifted at finding every obstacle possible. She ran under boulders, behind trees and through thickets constantly darting into the shade. Shadows almost engulfing her as if they were her friends willing accomplices causing her to almost disappeared into shade. Had it not been for the almost tangible pull the girl had on Sora, she would have been lost.

They ran without cease hard and constant for what seemed to stretch for miles and miles until Sora was pulled to a clearing and forced herself to finally resist the urge to run. Standing on the edge of a large river, Sora glanced up just in time to see the girl run along a small cliff edge beside a torrential waterfall finally disappearing into its wet curtain.

The pull and the draw were only growing stronger. It seemed the farther the girl went the more Sora ached to follow.

Sora feared the water ever since she could remember. She hated it! She would bath by dipping a cloth in a basin of warm soapy water then she would thoroughly ring it out before scrubbing but never would she dip herself in. Her mother told her when she was very young once in a small foot pond she had almost drowned. Her floating Basinet had been tipped by a school of wild monster fish and when fire had pulled her from the water her skin was red and irritated like a strange kind of hives had broken out all over her body. So they had always figured she was allergic to water. She hated the water but the pull was beginning to move beyond uncomfortable to pain.

As she inched along the Rock face she could finally see the opening. She would have to wade into the pond and then enter through the wall of water. It might as well have been a wall of consuming fire as far as Sora was concerned but as much as she hated the water the pull was beginning to move beyond uncomfortable to pain, and Sora new what she had to do.


	8. Chapter 7 Tendrils of Knowledge

**7 Tendrils of knowledge**

**As always forgive me this is an non beta story. Please R&R**

All her life Sora had felt them small invisible hooks latched to her core stringing out to the people she had connected with. She could even feel several of them now and she could always feel at least one but usually more. She had never known what it was to feel total peace and rest or to be completely alone, but she figured that was par for the course because neither had her mother or brother. At least her mind was her own and she wasn't constantly bombarded with the full on presence and thoughts of others.

Sora never told anyone about the ever present cords it was too strange and woolly. Besides she liked her little secrets. It was how she always got cookies before Briggs and Nax and how she never missed a personal concert from her mother. She was just somehow strangely connected to others in a way she could never quite define. It was as if she was linked to everyone with invisible tendrils that would allow occasional random droplets of knowledge to dance along the line. Like some strange sixth since that would both hiccup in and out of existence and yet beat just as surely as her own heart.

Most connections were unexpected and fickle like a few months ago when out of no were she felt a tug pull her gaze to the East and an old faded thought danced across her memory. A girl she used to play dolls with as a child.

_The girl corrected Sora in the proper way to hold a baby and then began to sway telling Sora that when she was a mommy she would rocky her baby just so. _

At the time Sora had smiled at the thought, thinking nothing more of the girl she hadn't thought of in years, but Sora was not shocked when she heard tell a week later that the vary same girl, who she had no idea was pregnant, had unexpectedly delivered 4 weeks early on a small journey to visit her mother in the east.

Then there were the more substantial and even somewhat controllable connections that Sora had with her closest friends and family. Like the fact that she could always smell when her great grandmother was baking something even from hundreds of miles away the smell would drift to her on the breeze from the direction of her grandmothers house. Or her connection to her mother. She always heard the cadence of her mothers music. Like a soft undefined tune echoing down a unending corridor it called to her with every faint stroke of Fire's fiddle or hum of her lips. In-fact somewhere south west of her, Fire was whistling an old army march. It was tight and fast and Sora could tell that Fire was trying to make light of how much her nerves were on edge. Sora even new by the faint tickling on her left side (the side facing capitol city) that somewhere in the castle Nax was laughing.

But no connection had been stronger or more constant than that of Briggs. Sora new that Fire and Briggs had continual access to ongoing thoughts of those around them and those thoughts were kept silent from her, but Sora always new when Briggs was intentionally harnessing his ability because it was like she was given the over run of his other senses. When Briggs would dig around in someone's memory or manipulate their emotions Sora would begin to pickup on what briggs was hearing or smelling or physically feeling and sometimes even what he was seeing. With time she learned that what ever senses Briggs was blocking out to focus his extra gift was pushed on to Sora.

Briggs had always wondered how it was that Sora always seemed to be right there when he needed her most and wanted her the least. He thought it was just some uncanny string of luck she stumbled upon laid out by some higher power to keep him in line. He had no idea that all these years he had been the one continually giving himself away, or that Sora's tracking of his actions and many times interference was intentional.

Sora could tell by the shift in her brothers thread that he had awoken too late and had lost his connection to the girl. They had traveled far out of his mental range quite sometime ago. By his constant mental bursts she could tell he was not giving up, but she also knew he was at least momentarily returning to camp, and that would buy her a small amount of time to do some medaling of her own.

Over the years Sora had had every kind of connection she could think of from small physical nudges to pungent smells, soft whispers and even rare visions were a shadow would take the form of something else, but she had never experienced anything like the pull and constant draw of this girl. Her hole body was at war. Her skin and organs were were pulling against the muscles that held her in place. Sora had noticed a deep ace in her right shoulder as well but it wasn't staying an ache it was becoming sharper and more clear. She had also noticed a uncomfortable itching sensation all along her leg like a bunch of bug bites. Sora didn't like these new sensations brought on by the girl. She felt out of control and as if her body was no longer her own.

The sun was sneaking behind the horizon while Sora worked her way along the cliffs edge. Then she had the scariest sensation her skin felt wet as if she had just been submerged in warm water then she felt a sharp sting in her shoulder and she yelped in pain. It was so unexpected and sharp that she momentarily lost her grip on the rock face in front of her and almost fell. Quickly she grabbed a hold of the hard jagged wall. Feeling the strength and tightness from her own muscles and ting of pain from a sharp edge on the rocks gave her a since of connection with her own body in turn giving her peace and control she desperately needed.

Sora was so overwhelmed by what was going on with her body that she no longer cared about the ever falling wall of water before her. She needed answers to what was happening to her and she needed to find that girl. Finally coming to the opening Sora threw herself through the blanket of water only to slip off of the small rock ledge on the other side. Finally ending her free fall Sora splashed into what seemed like a never ending pool of water. Scarred out of her wits and surrounded by water she violently swam toward the dim light of the surface. Almost breaking through the watery veneer Sora began to relax when out of no were a strong current seemed to gap hold of her and plug her even deeper into the center of the foreboding pool. Sora was in complete panic now because after being so violently tumbled and thrown about she had lost bearings and now with out the light of the caves entrance to guide her she had no idea what way to swim and worse even though her lungs and not begun to sting from a lack of oxygen yet she new they would soon.

Sora was frozen unsure of what to do when she saw a patch of light in the distance. She desperately began to kick and pull toward the strange pattern of light but as she got closer the patch of light no longer looked like a reflection of light on the surface but like an object. It didn't take long for Sora to realize that it wasn't a still inanimate object that she was swimming towards but rather a living moving presence that was heading toward her. Sora instantly began to flounder in the other direction when she was again grabbed by another current but as she was released from it's grasp this time she was brutally slammed against a painful wall of rock The cold and darkness wrapped in pain was the last things she was aware of as she drifted out of consciousness.


	9. Chapter 8 Impossible

8 The Impossible

Glory POV

Glory's body ached to the bone. The blinding power of the sun had given her a splitting headache and although she could see in the bright-light her vision was always hazy and the vibrance of all the colors tended to make her nauseous. Not that her empty stomach had any reason to complain about since todays disastrous hunt that ended without getting anythings to eat. Adding the way the sun's physical drain her and her newly acquired injuries Glory had to be alive and in the safety of her home.

Glory didn't even bother to take off the small shredded pieces of cloth the remained on her body she just wanted to climb into the shallows of one of the hot springs that hid in her cave. Giving in to the urge to be enraptured by the warm water Glory jumped in to one of the small ponds dipping herself under. Glory remembered her deep shoulder wound as the sharp sing of the warm water washed over her, but quickly the pain melted away to a raw ache as the warm water soother her sore muscles.

As Glory closed her eyes she began to process the events of the day she was too tired to try and figure out what she was going to do but she new she would have to clearly look at the situation and possibly make some plans that would drastically alter her life. She new that Brigan would not leave her alone and honestly there was a small part of her that didn't want him to. She had no frame of reference that she could trust as far as this man was concerned and the dominant cowardice driven part of her didn't want to explore any frame of reference that had anything to do with him. In her cowardice she wanted to run away but in her loneliness she wanted to seek him out and get lost in a never ending circle of mutual attraction and manipulation. Warm and rested she climbed out of the water and walked toward her bed. For now she was hidden and safe in her dark home. Any decisions that needed to be made could wait for now so that she wrest.

Glory was snuggled up in a warm red monster bearskin blanket watching the brilliance of sunset dance on the water fall before her, when she saw a dainty shadow push it's way threw the water fall only to fall of the rock ledge into most treacherous part of the caves rock pools. Glory new instantly the only person who could have found her was the girl from the clearing and although she was uncertain if the girl's intentions were good or not she new she couldn't let any harm come to her.

With her full vision finally coming clear in dark including the ability to see heat sources Glory ran along the pools edge looking for the girls warm glow in the water depths. Just as she caught site of the ripples of yellows and reds below she saw the girls body pulled away by one of the stronger currents luckily she knew the pool well and she also knew where the current would deposit her visitor. Not wanting to waist any time Glory jumped in staying away from the surface and the same undertow that had gotten ahold of the girl. Glory finally caught sight of the girl and began making her way toward her noticing they were swimming toward one another but as Glory got closer the girl seemed to panic flailing around a bit and then slowly started peddling the other way only to be caught up in the same current that she had just escaped.

Glory was a bit dumfounded by the girls erratic behavior maybe lack of oxygen had caused her to panic. All the same she was going to have to swim to land and look from above the surface if she was going to have any chance of finding and save the girl now, and even that was unlikely for the girl had gone with out air for a rather long time now. Climbing onto a small boulder in the middle of the pool Glory could see the girls ever changing glow on the far side of the pool but although Glory could see the heat coming of the girl she could no longer see her actual form. It was like she had disappeared but the evidence of her body heat still remained and affected the water around her.

Glory dove in swimming toward the form of the girl that was now completely still. Glory had lost her hope of saving the girl but she still had to see who this intruder was and she would make sure she was given a proper burial. As Glory reached out to the void surrounded by a heat ora she was able to grab hold of what she thought was an arm. Grabbing hold she made her way to the surface and then out of the pool. Setting the girl on a flat rock still in the shallows of the pool, Glory realized she was able to see her again and began to wonder about her own cognizance and if the strain of the day had done a number on her sanity.

Glory also realized that the girls chest was still moving was it possible she was alive and breathing how could she not have drowned or at least swallowed enough water into her lungs to choke, but as Glory leaned into the girls face she didn't feel any breath seeping in or out. Deciding to remove the girl completely from the pool Glory grabbed ahold of her forearms when her hands were sliced open and Glory immediately dropped her. Looking down at her now bloody hands Glory couldn't believe her own eyes the girls arms had disappeared under the water. Actually now that Glory was looking closer the only parts of the girl that was visible under water were her clothes. Glory carefully reached down into the water were she assumed the girls arm was carefully pulling it out of the water in became visible although were there were larger drops of water there seemed to be a strange mirage that Glory couldn't quite figure out. Was it mirroring the environment? Glory began to trace the girls skin this time she was being more careful when she noticed the smallest little slits in the surface like the mini gills.

Glory dropped the girl completely and jumped away. "This is not happening. It's not even possible." Glory began to rant at herself as she paced around her home refusing to look at the stranger. "Ok Glory get ahold of your self sweetheart! You are having a total break down. Maybe I lost more blood than I thought? Breath! Breath! Just stop and clear your Head." Glory was quickly spiraling out of control and was afraid she would hyperventilate and pass out if she couldn't calm down sitting on her favorite rock Glory let her head rest between her knees as she breathed in slowly.

**OK please forgive me I know it is totally cheesy but yes Sora is a Water monster! AHHH! and I am asking you to please keep reading my story in spite of the fact that I am a total Cheese Wad that can't spell. Promise there are no other kinds of monsters lurking around in my imagination at this time. So please forgive me and Keep Reading & Review :) I will try to give you an authors note some time to clarify anything you feel is unclear so let me know were I may have lost you so far. Sora's monster ability is to connect to people in one specific area. Unlike normal monsters her ability is not affected by distance and always show the direction of the person she is connecting with. She has always been away of this what she has not been aware of is that when in the water her skin takes on a reflective sheen making her much like a chameleon also unaware to her is the fact that her skin has small gills that open when her body adjusts to being in the water giving her the ability to basically breath under water. Stupid and Cheesy I know I know I wish I could beet this author doesn't she know she threatens to ruin a perfectly good story. (exasperated sigh) Oh well I am going to keep reading the story anyway. You should too!**


	10. Chapter 9 What kind of Monster

9 what kind of monster are you

**Ok my Beta didn't show up again she must be on vacation with my maid because I have a lot of dishes in the sink and I am pretty sure there is a lot of bad spelling and grammar below. I should so fire both of them! ... Hum wait a minute what do you mean I don't have a beta? ... Are you kidding me I can't be expected to spell and stuff...Wait! What do you mean I don't have a maid either? This is unbelievable. That is it I am firing my personal assistant and finding someone who can take care of the details... Are you serious? What do you mean the world of the dells isn't mine? Who is Kristen Cashore and why wasn't I notified about all this? That is so it I am firing somebody even if I don't have a personal assistant either. That's it your fired! NO WAIT! I'm so sorry I got totally carried away your not fired you have to read my story and review. In fact if you review you can have double what you are making now!**

**CHAPTER 9 What kind of monster are you?**

Although she hadn't opened her eyes Sora had begun to regain her conscientiousness. She could feel something brushing against her skin and it was sending a warm lulling hum threw her hold body then instantly her hand was dropped and splashed into water. Water? Wait she was surrounded by it but not fully submerged and yet she wasn't in any pain? Sora couldn't make the bits of information coming to her fit together, and on top of that once her arm was dropped that dreaded pulling she had felt toward the mysterious girl was back.

Sora began to take stock of herself she could feel a sharp pain in her head from hitting the rocks and the ache in her shoulder from an invisible wound that she couldn't account for but all in all she was alive and she believed she would be alright. Sora was also confused about how she come to be laying alone in the waters shallows instead of dead at its bottom, but she wouldn't snub her nose at the miracle. Taking a deep breath Sora slowly sat up and began to take in her surroundings. She could see through the caves entrance that twilight had come and night was descending quickly. Disappointed knowing she would have to abandon her search, Sora got up deciding she needed to take advantage of what little light she had left to get out of this cave and down the cliff face so she could return home.

Turning to find the path that led to the caves entrance Sora was taken aback, shocked into stillness she tried to take in what was in front of her. Bent over sitting on the rocks was something glowing in the dark. With all of her air gushing out of her lungs she screeched at the strange beast "What are you?" Expecting some hideous deformed animal Sora was shocked that as the glowing creature unfolded a mess of arms and legs it could be most closely identified to human form. But this was no human Sora thought as she watched shimmering black, with the slight glow deep blue and dark aqua stands of hair being shaken about. As the locks of hair began to settle they revealed a face with skin glowing soft as moonlight reflected on the snow, soft pink lips that looked like they had been dusted in gold and two sparkling blue eyes that seemed to shine fierce and wary of her. Sora's breath was stolen away with the realization that the gorgeous and enchanting creature she was looking at remarkably resembled the girl from the clearing.

Sora was broken from her stupor when the aberration began to yell back "What am I? What are you?"

Completely confused by the girl's response Sora stumbled over her words "I'm... a... uh... Human?" Blinking her eyes a few times Sora tried to pull together a better response with her name and who she was only to be harshly interrupted.

"I don't think so! Being a night monster I may not be a normal person but I know a human when I come across one and you are not it!"

Sora's mind began whirling off in different directions, "What in the dells is a night monster and what do you me I'm not it?"

"When you were in the water you..."

"What do you mean in the water I'm allergic to water. I haven't been in the water since I was an infant until now. I'm sure whatever rash or bumps you see now is because of that. Now what exactly are you?"

"Rash or bumps? Are you kidding me you freaking disappeared!"

"Then how is it you are looking at me?"

"You only disappeared when you were in the water and you had these little gill things that cut up my hands."

"Gill things? Is this some kind of joke or are you just totally crazy?" It was at that moment when the girl reached down and grabbed Sora's arm that she realized she had steadily been moving closer to the strange glow- in-the-dark creature. Sora was also surprised buy two things as the girl brushed her fingers along the skin of her arm. One the warm buzzing feeling had returned and two she felt a small tugging sensation on her wet arm. Looking down Sora could see a small rip in her skin and as it remained open it began to dry and ache. Sora was so scared by her own body that she tugged away from the stranger and howled in anger "What in the world? What did you do to me?"

"Do to you? I didn't do anything? You're the one who cut me all up with your freakish arms."

"All I know is I have never seen this before today and I have never felt so out of control of my own body until you and I locked eyes in that clearing. So as far as I am concerned this is all your fault! YOU... YOU whatever you are."

"I already told you I am a night monster and although I do have that ability to influence what someone is physically feeling I can only do that when I am actually touching them. And I don't like being called you. I have a name ya know. It's Glory so use it."

"Well I have a name too. It's Sora so you can use that." Sora was practically out of breath and she realized that she had gravitated to the girl again they were practically touching noses.

"Wait did you say Sora?...As in Fire and Prince Brigan's MIRACLE none monster baby?" The glowing girl began to laugh as she distanced herself from Sora. Sitting down with a relaxed smile that only helped her. "Well that settles that."

Completely perplexed by the statement and the girl's complete shift in mood Sora took a wary step towards her, "That settles what?"

The girl seemed to light up even more as she giggled and shook her head and it was obvious that Sora was missing something. The girl had a friendly smile as she looked up at Sora and patted the rock next to her for Sora to sit down. Sora was a little surprised and unsure about the girl's offer of hospitality but feeling the ever present pull radiating from her core to be closer to the stranger she sat down.

"It settles the fact that you are no miracle none monster. Everyone knows If a monster of any kind any species has a baby it will also be a monster! Hence Fire has a baby boy he is a monster. Then Fire has a baby girl guess what she is?" Glory said looking strait at Sora raising one eyebrow.

"A monster? ...But that's... that's impossible I... I mean don't... I'm not all colorful and pretty." Shocked by the realization the words seemed to drool out of Sora's mouth while her brain seemed to process the possibility internally. Although most of the time Sora was glad to not deal with the problems brought on by being a monster, there were times when she felt a little jealous of her brother. Like he was something special and set apart. Sometimes she even though he must be made for some greater purpose that would be later revealed just like her mother had once been the savior of the dells. She had never held such a hope for herself although deep inside she had wanted something special for herself wishing she was something more. Now that the truth stared her in the face that she might in fact be something more, she didn't know how to feel or what to think.

Sora's enter monologue was broken by a soft chiding voice beside her. "You are most certainly pretty... actually you are more than just pretty you are absolutely beautiful but in such a soft and welcoming way... Listen I'm sorry about yelling at you and all it's just that you really scared me. I have to admit I have seen all sorts of strange things monster bats that glow in the dark even monster raptors that seem to be able to dive into the water for a time and swim after their pray but I never would have imagined you."

"I guess that makes two of us. I still don't know how I feel about… or even if I believe I am a monster myself, but I think I am glad to have met you Glory. It's strange, I feel a totally different connection and draw to you. It's unlike anything I have ever felt before?"

Sora noticed but she was now leaning shoulder to shoulder with Glory but the girl didn't seem to mind the contact. And so the two began to talk away the knight. Glory explained as best she could how physically addictive her body could be between her touch and her sent. She also explained how unlike normal monsters who could control one's mind Glory was able to control ones actually body.

With that explanation and then seeing Glory's injured shoulder Sora began to understand her connection to Glory. Much like Glory's gift Sora's senses were being altered but instead of being manipulated by Glory, Sora was joining in what Glory's physical body was actually feeling. Sora knew the power of her gift and she had a feeling that her connection to Glory would be just as sure as the connection to her own family. She knew from that day on at any time she could reach out along her connection and know if Glory was physically ok.

For the first time in her life Sora shared the secret of her tendrils and how she connected with other people. She shared with Glory how she believed she had connected with Glory. Then Glory shared her theory of monster magnetism. That once two monster's had connected they would continually draw to one another. It made since to Sora. As much as she loved her father and the rest of her family, it was extremely more difficult for her to be parted from her Mother and Brother, and she knew it was the same for them. It was why her mother would find excuses to checkup and travel with Briggs and it was the reason Briggs never fussed to badly about being burdened with his mother and baby sister.

The conversation went on into the early morning and Sora felt as if she had somehow gained a new sister. Sora had always had friends in truth everyone want to befriend her and connect to her in one way or another, but there were very few Sora felt and emotional connection to in return. As they talked Sora knew what it was like to have a best friend. Sora had never felt it before but for the first time as the two shared their deepest secrets and life stories Sora could actually feel a tangible connection winding around them like an invisible rope imprisoning them together. Sora was shocked to find she wasn't as bothered by this as she should be, but she was even more shocked when Glory shared that she was feeling the exact same thing.

Finally talked out the two girls lead back against the rock wall and rested in amiable silence thinking about how the world they knew had just change before their very eyes. As the two thought about what these changes would mean to both of them they slowly drifted off to sleep.

**Ok guys sorry I got a little lost in my writing and it rambles on and on I'm not promising it won't happen again but I will try to do better and move forward in the plot if I can figure that all out****,**** but I just felt certain character pieces needed to be in place. Love you all thanks for reading and please review!**


End file.
